Are Twitter Chats Useful for Job Seekers?

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Nov. 15, 2011, 2:00 PM

By Mona Abdel-Halim For those of you looking for a job, Twitter chats are a great resource for answers to all of your career questions. Twitter chats allow users with common interests to participate in scheduled chats. There are hundreds of chats scheduled; many of them weekly, that allow users to communicate with each other and with professionals on their chosen topic.

For job seekers and all Twitter chat users, you must first decide on your topic of interest. You can participate in a chat on just about every topic imaginable. For job seekers, you must choose your subject wisely. Then, you can be sure to reach professionals that will best serve your needs. Find out what #hashtag (used to mark keywords in a Tweet) you need to join the chat. What the Hashtag is a good place to go for all those deciding on a chat to join. Once you have figured out the #hashtag that best defines your needs, you can use Tweetchat.com to find and participate in chats.

Twitter chats provide free advice from professionals, knowledgeable in your chosen field, who can answer questions about obstacles you're facing in your job search. This access is far greater than seeking out specific seminars and experts which prove hard to do, especially if you live in a small town.

Twitter chats allow everyone the chance to learn from seasoned veterans and to bounce ideas off of fellow users. These live chats last about an hour. The one thing you must keep in mind when participating in chats, is that you must consistently use the #hashtag (unique to the chat) for everyone to see your involvement in the conversation.

If you are one of the many job seekers on the market, once you have gotten used to participating in Twitter chats, they can truly become your primary resource for advice and new information.

What are some Twitter chats that job seekers should join? Let us know in the comments.

Mona Abdel-Halim is the co-founder of Resunate.com, the world's only search engine optimizing resume builder. You can find Mona and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.